Cyber Uncut

As Australia faces a populist political surge and the established political parties continue to lose ground, can Australia's "sensible" centre hold, or will decades of failed policies, broken promises and declining economic opportunities finally come home to roost?

In a departure from its usual international focus, Contested Ground turns to domestic tensions sparked by the federal budget. The hosts argue that this has become a sustained point of public frustration rather than a short-term political issue.
Hosts Phil Tarrant and Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson question whether Australia is moving away from its traditional "sensible centre" towards greater political polarisation.
A central theme of the discussion is the declining level of trust between Australians and the political class. Dr Thompson argues that governments increasingly risk creating division through policies and political strategies that focus on wedge issues rather than building consensus. The conversation references debates, including the Voice referendum and responses to international crises, as examples of issues that have contributed to heightened social tension.
The discussion also turns to housing, taxation and the economic pressures facing younger Australians. Tarrant raises concerns that government policy settings, including changes affecting self-managed super funds and capital gains tax arrangements, may have unintentionally reduced investment capacity and worsened housing supply pressures.
The hosts question whether Australia is continuing to promote an outdated version of the "Australian Dream" while younger generations face record debt levels, higher living costs and greater financial uncertainty.
Ultimately, the episode explores a bigger question: is Australia experiencing a fundamental shift in its national identity and political culture?
The hosts suggest the country may be moving away from the traditional "sensible centre" that has defined much of modern Australian politics towards a more divided environment, where competing extremes increasingly dominate public debate. They warn that maintaining social cohesion will become harder if political leadership continues to prioritise short-term political advantage over long-term national unity.
The episode concludes with a call for a renewed style of leadership – one focused less on political point-scoring and more on honesty, transparency and bringing Australians together to confront the economic and strategic challenges ahead.
Enjoy the podcast,
The Contested Ground team

Host Steve Kuper is joined by former navy logistician Dave Grosvenor and chair of the Gravity Group Steve Hayes for a wide-ranging discussion on Australia's sovereign capability, industrial resilience and the growing gap between strategic risk and national preparedness in this episode of the Contested Ground podcast.
The conversation opens with a blunt assessment of Australia's strategic vulnerability, with the argument that it is no longer theoretical but "empirically established" through a growing body of evidence. The panel examines what concrete indicators – ranging from supply chain fragility to operational dependence on external partners – most clearly demonstrate this exposure, and why existing frameworks such as the Defence Strategic Review did not go far enough in diagnosing the scale of the challenge.
A key theme is urgency. The guests argue that incremental reform and repeated reviews are insufficient, making a comprehensive national audit of sovereign capability essential now rather than later. They explore how wargaming outcomes and scenario analysis increasingly point to Australia's limited resilience in the face of prolonged disruption, particularly across critical supply chains and industrial dependencies.
The discussion then turns to the structural limits of market-driven solutions. The panel outlines how market failures, foreign subsidies and competing international industrial strategies distort outcomes for Australian industry. They also unpack the "theory of the second best" in practical policy terms, arguing that partial reforms in a distorted global system can sometimes worsen outcomes rather than improve them. The debate extends to the real-world cost of inaction, framed not just in economic terms but in strategic and operational risk.
Attention shifts to what a national audit would need to deliver, including whole-of-government visibility, cross-sector integration and measurable outcomes rather than another cyclical report. The guests stress the importance of avoiding bureaucratic capture and ensuring the process translates into actionable reform rather than analysis paralysis.
The conversation then explores the policy tools available to government, including long-term procurement, sovereign industry funds, and strategic industrial zones. Particular focus is given to the most under-utilised levers in Australia's current policy toolkit and the skills gaps that continue to undermine sovereign capability ambitions.
International comparisons feature prominently, with the Republic of Korea highlighted as the most relevant model for Australia. The panel discusses Korea's long-term policy consistency, export-driven industrial strategy and state-enabled industrial scaling while questioning how much of that approach is realistically transferable to the Australian context.
Institutional reform is another focal point, with discussion of proposals for a dedicated Ministry of Sovereign Industry. The guests examine how such an institution might interact with Defence, Treasury and industry departments, and whether Australia can maintain continuity of strategy across electoral cycles without a dedicated anchor for sovereign capability policy.
The episode also addresses public trust and communication challenges, emphasising the need for transparency in how sovereign risk is communicated to avoid unnecessary alarm while strengthening social cohesion and democratic engagement.
Finally, the panel considers implementation realities – what can be achieved within a single parliamentary term, how bipartisan consensus might be built, and the respective roles of states, territories and private capital in delivering large-scale industrial transformation.
In closing, the discussion returns to first principles: what motivated the push for a national audit, how lived experience in procurement and logistics shapes the analysis, and what success would look like for Australia if it meaningfully closes its sovereign capability gap over the next decade.
Enjoy the podcast,
The Contested Ground team

This week, Cyber Uncut looks at important tax time advice, a string of Aussie hacks that have exposed sensitive personal information, and the Australian Signals Directorate's decision to retire the Essential Eight.

CPA Australia has a warning this tax time, and that is to be very aware of taking tax advice from AI chatbots and financial influencers. An AI hallucination could cost you real money, so this is something to pay attention to!
It's been a terrible week for data breaches in Australia, with the NSW Rural Fire Service warning its members of a data breach, and a ransomware actor dumping teacher and student data from the Reynella East College breach onto the dark web. Right now, cyber criminals are no doubt combing through the data, making this breach one that parents should pay attention to.
Finally, the ASD has said that, as good as the Essential Eight is, it's no longer fit for purpose in the AI age. Find out what's going to replace it, and then stay tuned for an update on the alleged distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that took down a One Nation website a couple of weeks ago.
Just another week in cyber security.
Enjoy,
The Cyber Uncut team

This week, Cyber Uncut looks at the launch – and the blocking – of Anthropic's latest AI models, a raft of cyber attacks on Aussie organisations, and praises the Australian Federal Police for its work at home and abroad.

AI giant Anthropic had a tough week recently. It launched its most advanced AI model yet, only to have the US government force it to block access. Cyber Daily's David Hollingworth and Daniel Croft work through what happened and its implications for organisations in the Asia-Pacific region.
And it's been a tough week – a tough month, really, for cyber criminals targeting Australian entities, and even government bodies, both state and federal, were not immune. But it also seems some cyber criminals may have been exaggerating just a little bit. Find out what happened to the NSW government and the Australian Productivity Commission – and how it impacted Aussie journalists!
Finally, the AFP has been very busy, assisting in an international takedown operation targeting vital criminal infrastructure and working with Five Eyes law enforcement agencies to combat organised cyber crime groups targeting vulnerable youth.
Just another week in cyber security.
Enjoy,
The Cyber Uncut team

When Opposition Leader Angus Taylor announced a Coalition government would develop and implement a national security strategy, many shouted, "Finally!", but delivering a strategy that is fit for purpose is more political than most would think.
 
Since the release of the nation's first whole-of-nation national security strategy in 2013, successive Australian governments have sought to mask the nation's lack of preparedness with individual but isolated strategies from across government.
 
Championed tirelessly but ultimately unsuccessfully by the late Jim Molan, a national security strategy has often been viewed as solely the remit of a narrow clique of public policy professionals with access to security briefings and the levers of power.
 
But as host Steve Kuper and geostrategic analyst Marc Ablong unpack, a truly encompassing, whole-of-nation national security strategy presents immense opportunities not just for the nation but also for the political party that recognises the challenges we face need to be overcome.
 
This conversation comes at a time when political upheaval, atomisation and social cohesion continue to challenge established and insurgent political movements at home and across the broader Western world.
 
The pair discuss the immense opportunity for the political party that understands and develops a strategy incorporating a distinct and inescapable but seemingly forgotten factor: national security begins with the individual.
 
They discuss just what makes a "good" national security strategy in the modern context, the lessons Australia can learn from the Scandinavian nations, the United States and other like-minded countries that have recognised the challenges and opportunities presented by the return of multipolar, great power competition.
 
Finally, they discuss a question, only just starting to re-emerge in the public and political consciousness: "What sort of country do we want Australia to be?"
 
Enjoy the podcast, 
The Contested Ground team